Shoe-fastener.



' No. 846,702. P-ATENTED MAR. 12, 1907.

'- 0. A. SPIES.

SHOE FASTENER. APPLICATION TILED DEO.B.1905.

611 mg. [NVE/VTOR,

I I I A froze/V516.

' WITNESSES} Rs'co., WASHINGTON, n c

UNITED STATES.

PATENT oFFroE.

CHARLES AUGUSTUS SPIES, OF MENOMINEE, MICHIGAN.

SHOE-FASTENER- at Menominee, in the county of Menominee and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Shoe-Fastener, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to shoe-fasteners.

The object of the invention is to improve the manner of combining the lacing with the vamp, whereby the necessity of untying the lacing to permit removal of the shoe is obviated, and, further, whereby but a single lead of the lacing is necessary to effect adjusting of the vamp around the ankle of the wearer and the securing of the lacing against shifting or loosening.

l/Vith the above and other objects in view, as will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction and combination of parts of a shoe-fastener, as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forminga part of this specification, and in which like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts, Figure l. is a view in perspective of the interior of a vam viewed from the rear and equipped with t e improvements of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a view in perspective of the exterior of the vamp viewed from the front and equipped with the improvements of the present invention. Fig. 3

is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 3 3, Fig.1. Fig. 4 is a perspective detail view of the lacing. Fig. 5 is a pers ective detail view of a novel form of eye et employed in carrying the invention into effect.

Referring to the drawings, V designates the vamp of the shoe, which maybe of the usual or any preferred. construction and therefore needs no detailed description. .The facings 1 are secured throughout their length to the edges only of the vamp by lines of stitches 2 and to the lining 3 by rows of stitches 4, which, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, are free from attachment to the vamp, thus leaving the lining and vamp disconnected at the front of the shoe except at its edges. The upper portion of the vamp is provided exteriorly with the ordinary lacing-studs 5 and the upper portions of the facings with eyelets 6, which, as shown in Fig. 3, are superposed by the studs.

In the lower portion of thevamp there are the usual eyelets 7 provided, which are Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 8, 1905. Serial No. 290,986.

Patented March 12, 1907.

clenched through the vamp lining and facings, as clearly shown in Fig. 1.

By the manner of disposing the facings relatively to'the vamp at the upper portion thereof there are pockets 8 left, which are rovided for the purpose of permitting the acing 9 being threaded through the eyelets 6, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, thus to permit of a straight draft being applied to one lead of the lacing to effect tightening thereof, as will hereinafter more fully appear.

Each of the two lowermost of the eyelets 7 is provided with a hollow extension or socket 10, which is adapted to be engaged by the metallic tip 11 of the lacing, which is of less "length than the ordinary metallic tip, is flat,

and is combined with the lacing in any preferred manner. The other end of the lacing will have combined with it a tassel 12, which will operate to prevent accidental pulling out of this end of the lacing from the eyelets 6.

It is designed that the improvements herein defined shall be adapted for a right and left shoe, the arrangement of the lacing being reversed in the two shoes, that herein shown being applied to the left shoe. In assembling the lacing with the vamp the tip end of the lacing is threaded through the eyelets 6 in the right-hand facing, and when the lowermost eyelet 6 is reached it is then passed to the eyelet 6 in the left-hand facing and the tip is then threaded through the diagonally opposite eyelet 7, thence brought to the front, passed through the eyelet 7 in alinement with the first-named eyelet, and thence passed through this eyelet diagonally across on the inner side of the vamp to the next succeeding eyelet 7, this order being observed throughout the entire series of eyelets 7, which arrangement will cause the lacing to appear at the front of the vamp at right angles to the split thereof, as shown in Fig. 2. When the lacing is drawn through the lowermost eyelet 7 of the right-hand side of the vamp, the tip is then inserted through the socket 10 on the. left-hand side and beginning with the bottom of the vamp the lacing is tightened throughout the entire series of eyelets 7, a loop being left in the lacing to be engaged with the series of studs 5. To effect this result, the lacing is looped around the studs a, b, c, d, e, f, g, and h in the order named, after which upward draft is applied to the free lead of the lacing, whereupon it will be locked or secured against slippage relatively to the studs. To remove the shoe,

the loop '11 of the lacing is drawn upon suf I tion with eziterior studs and with eyelets in its facings and within its lower portion with eyelets extending through the vamp and facings, the two end eyelets having integral, alining sockets extending therefrom; of a lacing threaded through the eyelets in the facing and vamp and having a tip to engage either or both sockets.

In testimony that I claim the forgoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses. I

. CHARLES AUGUSTUS SPIES.

Witnesses:

R. W. CHAPPELL, J. M. OPSAHL. 

